I think in recent incarnations, yes. Back in the 1960s the spider was radioactive because people had anxiety about radiation. Now, now they are afraid of genetic modification.

Of course a spider has the proportionate strength it does because it is small and I guess that smallness is encoded in its DNA. Scale it up to your size and it can't breathe. If you want to be as strong as an ant (carry a grain of food bigger than yourself over your head) you have to shrink down really small like Ant-man.

The basics of the genetics of animal morphogenesis came out of experiments where they produced zillions of mutant fruit flies with radiation and found a few where parts were produced in the wrong place.

> is it ethical to intentionally make a species blind by removing eyes with gene editing

I'd think that depends on what ethical framework you're assuming.

This had to pass an IRB, so according to the organization: yes.

As for what ethics are in place, check out the Penn video leaked by PETA in 1984 called Unnecessary Fuss, which triggered the creation of IACUC.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee is the system at all US based universities overseeing animal experimentation. They will 100% halt your lab if you are caught doing a bad.

You have to clear your work with them before you can start, they generally will ask if your work can be done in cell models, or if you can do it with less animals. It works relatively well considering the above reference.

Source: worked in biochemistry lab for 10y. AMA